README for xfce version 4.x
===========================

WHAT IS IT ?
------------
'xfce' is the panel of the XFce Desktop Environment. It is modeled after the CDE
panel and, of course, previous versions of xfce.
This version is based on GTK2 and should have all the advantages that come with
this new and improved toolkit (see http://www.gtk.org).

WHAT'S NEW ?
------------
Apart from the toolkit changes the underlying framework of the panel has also
changed completely. 

All interactions with the window manager take place through the new window
manager hints as defined on http://www.freedesktop.org. This means that you will
need a compliant window manager for xfce to function properly (preferably xfwm4
;-).

The panel can now hold normal buttons and dynamic modules.

INFO FOR DEVELOPERS
===================
If you are interested in helping with the development of xfce4 the best place to
start reading is global.h which hold the type definitions of the different
data structures used.

The panel design is a hierarchy of components:

- Panel (file xfce.c): Global settings and panel framework.

- Central panel (file central.c): Minibuttons and desktop switcher.

- Side panels (file side.c): Left and right panel containing several panel groups.
  A panel group consists of a top widget and a bottom widget. The top widget is 
  usually a popup button, but for the outermost groups it is a move handle. The
  bottom widget is called panel control and can be either a panel item (a button 
  with an icon) or a panel module (dynamically updated).

Other files:
- popup.c: function for the popup menu inlcuding menu items.

- control.c: panel control interface

- item.c: traditional panel control (icon button that launches programs)

- iconbutton.c: icon button used by panel items. Separate for easy use by other 
  modules.

- builtin.c: builtin dynamic panel controls (e.g. clock and trash can).

- callbacks.c: most callback functions are defined here.

- dialogs.c: panel configuration dialogs.

- controls_dialog.c: configuration of panel controls

- item_dialog.c: configuration dialog for panel item or menu item

- xfce_support.c: convenience dialogs and general convenience functions.

- move.c: moveing the panel around.

- settings.c: reading and writing panel configuration.

- wmhints.c: window manager hints